Updates, advisories and surprises

(9:07 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Health Care Property Investors Inc.
HCP, -0.48%
Monday evening said fourth-quarter net income for shareholders rose, as the company recorded a $229 million gain on real estate sales, to $236 million, or $1.27 a share, from $36.2 million, or 27 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. The real estate investment trust focusing on healthcare facilities said quarterly per-share funds from operations fell to 35 cents from 48 cents in the prior year. Revenue and other income for the fourth quarter gained to $234.9 million from $113.8 million in the prior year's period.

General Growth quarterly income rises; FFO gains

(5:56 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- General Growth Properties Inc.
GGP, -1.78%
after Monday's closing bell said fourth-quarter net income for shareholders rose, as revenue gained, to $70.2 million, or 29 cents a share, from $66.7 million, or 28 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. The real estate investment trust focusing on regional shopping malls said quarterly per-share funds from operations rose to $1.02 from 91 cents in the prior year. General Growth said revenue for the fourth quarter increased to $971.8 million from $862.2 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected revenue of $863 million. For 2007, General Growth sees core FFO per share of $3.17 to $3.23.

ShoreTel files to raise up to $85 million in IPO

(5:38 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- ShoreTel Inc. filed late Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $85 million in an initial public offering. Lehman Brothers and J.P. Morgan are leading the deal's underwriting. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based ShoreTel, a provider of IP telecommunications systems, has applied to list its shares on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "SHOR."

Yum Brands profit rises 2.7%, backs year view

(5:26 PM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Yum Brands Inc.
YUM, -1.15%
on Monday posted a 2.7% increase in fourth-quarter profit as international growth offset flat sales in the U.S. Yum earned $232 million, or 83 cents a share, up from $226 million, or 77 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue came in at $3.02 billion, up from $2.9 billion, as worldwide same-store sales grew 3%. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial had been for Yum to earn 79 cents a share on revenue of $2.9 billion. Yum backed its profit forecast for the year of at least $3.21 a share vs. a current Wall Street estimate of $3.22. Shares closed up 29 cents at $60.78.

Cross Country quarterly income rises; revenue gains

(5:10 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Cross Country Healthcare Inc.
CCRN, -1.97%
after Monday's closing bell said fourth-quarter net income rose, as revenue gained, to $6.22 million, or 19 cents a share, from $4.89 million, or 15 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. The provider of healthcare staffing services said quarterly revenue gained to $175.7 million from $163.7 million in the prior year. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected revenue of $172 million. For the first quarter, Cross Country sees revenue of $172 million to $175 million, and per-share income of 13 cents to 15 cents. Analysts are looking for quarterly revenue of $170 million.

Shanda swings to quarterly income; revenue gains

(4:46 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
SNDA
after Monday's closing bell said it swung to net income for the fourth-quarter of 240.3 million renminbi ($31 million), or RMB3.32 (42 cents) per American Depositary Share. During the same period in the prior year, the net loss was RMB538.9 million, or RMB7.58 per ADS. The interactive entertainment media company in China said quarterly revenue rose to RMB470.6 million from RMB360.5 million in the prior year.

IRobot swings to quarterly loss; expenses rise

(4:34 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- IRobot Corp.
IRBT, -3.47%
after Monday's closing bell said it swung to a net loss in the fourth quarter of $1.78 million, or 8 cents a share, as operating expenses rose. During the same period in the prior year, net income was $15,000, or breakeven on a per share basis. The provider of robots said quarterly revenue rose to $61.1 million from $46.5 million in the prior year. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected revenue of $62 million. For 2007, iRobot sees revenue of $225 million to $235 million, while Wall Street is looking for $254 million.

MoSys quarterly income rises; revenue gains

(4:23 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- MoSys Inc.
MOSY, -1.10%
after Monday's closing bell said it swung to net income in the fourth-quarter of $567,000, or 2 cents a share, as royalty revenue increased. During the same period in the prior year, the net loss was $1.08 million, or 4 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected per-share earnings of 4 cents for the recent quarter. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based developer of chip memory technologies said quarterly revenue increased to $5.01 million from $2.4 million in the prior year, while Wall Street was looking for $6 million.

Priceline profit more than doubles; strong European bookings

(4:20 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Online travel bookings provider Priceline.com Inc.
PCLN, -2.30%
late Monday reported profit more than doubled on stronger business in Europe. For the quarter ended Dec. 31, Priceline said profit was $13.2 million, or 33 cents per share, compared to $3.8 million or 9 cents a share a year ago. Sales for the quarter rose 28% to $235.9 million.

Hub Group quarterly income rises; margin gains

(4:10 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Hub Group Inc.
HUBG, -1.53%
after Monday's closing bell said fourth-quarter net income rose, as operating margin gained, to $13.5 million, or 34 cents a share, from $10.1 million, or 25 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected per-share income of 32 cents. The freight transportation management company said quarterly revenue increased to $425.5 million from $403.2 million in the prior year. Hub added that it sees earnings for 2007 of $1.25 to $1.40 per share, while Wall Street is looking for $1.36.

Chindex swings to third-quarter profit; shares fall

(10:50 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Chindex International Inc.
CHDX
shares fell 18% to $19.90 in Monday morning trade after the provider of healthcare products and medical services in China reported a fiscal third-quarter net profit of $679,000, or 9 cents a share. In the same quarter last year, the company posted a net loss of $463,000, or 7 cents a share. Revenue rose to $30.3 million from $22.6 million.

Zoltek shares rise on first-quarter results

(10:39 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Zoltek Cos.
ZOLT
shares rose 7.8% to $28.82 in Monday morning trade. Late Friday, the St. Louis-based materials reported a fiscal first-quarter net loss of $5.66 million, or 23 cents a share. The quarter included a charge of $8.4 million related to convertible debt and warrant issuances. In the same quarter last year, the company posted net earnings of $6.29 million, or 3 cents a share. Revenue rose to $30.3 million from $15.6 million.

(10:09 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Hydril
HYDL
shares jumped 15% in Monday morning trade after the manufacturer of pressure control products for oil and gas production agreed to be acquire by Tenaris S.A.
TS, -0.59%
for $97 a share in cash. The offer represents a premium of roughly 17% to Hydril's closing share price last Friday. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. Certain members of the Seaver family have agreed to vote Hydril shares, representing roughly 22% of the combined votes rights, in favor of the merger, Luxembourg-based Tenaris said.

Mobile deals get Net stocks off to slightly lower start

(9:39 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of large Internet firms began Monday's trading slightly lower, with new forays into cell phones leading the way. Shares of Google Inc.
GOOG, -1.72%
were trading slightly lower after announcing its mapping features will soon be available to subscribers of European telecom giant Vodafone. Also, on Monday Google's YouTube video sharing Web site said it has struck a revenue-sharing deal with Digital Music Group Inc.
DMGI, +0.00%
to supply 4,000 hours of its programming, including the classic TV show "I Spy." Yahoo Inc.
YHOO
shares began the day off, slightly, after mobile phone maker LG Electronics said it would be adding Yahoo's Internet features to new generations of its cell phones, and that Pepsi, Hilton's Embassy Suites and Intel were among the major advertisers to sign up for Yahoo's mobile ad network. EBay Inc.
EBAY, -1.44%
shares were trading slightly lower after Robert Peck, analyst with Bear Stearns, said he expects eBay's PayPal online payment features to be paired with Yahoo's new Project Panama advertising platform, as both companies try to head off respective challenges from Google's online ad network and its Checkout online payment features. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Internet Index
DJI_DJINET
was trading higher, while the Nasdaq Composite Index
$COMPQ
began the day off, marginally.

Ecolab fourth-quarter profit $87.2 mln vs $70.7 mln

(9:00 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Ecolab Inc.
ECL, -1.65%
Monday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $87.2 million, or 34 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $70.7 million, or 27 cents a share. Net sales jumped 11% in the latest three months to $1.27 billion from $1.14 billion in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for a profit of 34 cents a share in the December period. Looking ahead, the St. Paul, Minn., maker of cleaning and sanitizing products said it expects earnings of 33 to 35 cents a share in the first quarter and $1.62 to $1.65 a share for fiscal 2007. Wall Street's current consensus estimates are for earnings of 35 cents a share in the March period and $1.64 a share for the year. The stock closed Friday at $43.93, down 7 cents.

American Financial Group fourth-quarter earnings $135.5 mln

(8:51 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- American Financial Group Inc.
AFG, -2.09%
Monday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $135.5 million, or $1.11 per share, up from a year-ago profit of $88.5 million, or 75 cents a share. On a core basis, excluding items, the Cincinnati-based company earned $104 million, or 85 cents a share, in the latest quarter, up from a core profit of $87.4 million, or 74 cents a share, last year. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for earnings of 81 cents a share in the December period. The company attributed the higher earnings to improved results from its specialty property and casualty insurance operations and higher investment income. Looking ahead, American Financial said it continues to expect core earnings of $3.23 to $3.43 a share in 2007. The stock closed Friday at $35.60, down 14 cents.

4Q earnings poised to break record, Thomson Financial says

(8:44 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The current fourth-quarter earnings growth rate for S&P 500
SPX, -1.54%
components stands at 10.9% with only about 25% of the companies in the index left to report their earnings in the coming days, according to data from Thomson Financial. The quarter will mark the 14th consecutive period of double-digit percentage growth in earnings by S&P 500 components, a new record. The previous record of 13 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth was set between the fourth quarter of 1992 and the fourth quarter of 1995.

Loews' consolidated fourth-quarter net income $746.5 mln

(8:20 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Loews Corp.
LTR, -3.16%
Monday reported consolidated net income of $746.5 million, or $1.11 a share, for the fourth quarter, up from a year-ago equivalent profit of $127.6 million, or 8 cents a share. This performance includes contributions from both Loews Group and Carolina Group, whose net income rose to $137.1 million, or $1.26 per Carolina Group
CG, -0.93%
share, in the quarter, from $81.6 million, or $1.11 a share, a year earlier. On a continuing operations basis, Loews earned $633.4 million, or $1.15 per share, in the latest quarter. Loews attributed its higher earnings to improved results at CNA Financial
CNA, -1.18%
its 89%-owned subsidiary, and Diamond Offshore Drilling
DO, -0.95%
its 54%-owned subsidiary. Loews' shares closed Friday at $42.84, down 2.3%.

Arch Chemicals' fourth-quarter loss $28.3 mln

(8:10 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Arch Chemicals Inc.
ARJ
Monday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $28.3 million, or $1.18 per share, up from a year-ago profit of $3.6 million, or 15 cents a share. The latest results include a number of items, most notably an impairment charge of $23.5 million related to the write-down of goodwill associated with the company's industrial coatings business. Sales rose in the latest three months to $315.9 million from $278.3 million in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for loss of 9 cents a share in the December period. Looking ahead, the Norwalk, Conn.-based Arch said it expects earnings from continuing operations of $1.90 to $2 per share for fiscal 2007 with sales growth of 3% to 5%. For the first quarter, the company anticipates earnings from continuing operations of 10 to 15 cents a share. Wall Street's current consensus estimates are for earnings of $1.95 a share for 2007 and 30 cents a share for the March period. The stock closed Friday at $34.05, up 24 cents.

Quicksilver Gas Services files $82 mln IPO

(7:27 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Quicksilver Gas Services LP on Monday filed to raise up to $81.5 million in an initial public offering of common units. The partnership plans to trade on the NYSE Arca under the symbol KGS. UBS Investment Bank
UBS, -1.93%
and Goldman Sach
GS, -1.86%
are underwriting the deal. Quicksilver Resources Inc.
KWK
provides its supply of natural gas.

Nam Tai Electronics' fourth-quarter loss $2.3 mln

(7:24 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Nam Tai Electronics Inc.
NTE, -9.37%
Monday posted a fourth-quarter loss of $2.3 million, or 5 cents a share, down from a year-ago profit of $12.7 million, or 29 cents a share. On a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis, excluding items, the company earned $12.3 million, or 28 cents a share, in the latest quarter. Sales fell 7.1% in the latest three months to $229.6 million from $247.2 million in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for a profit of 28 cents a share in the December period. The stock closed Friday at $14.26, down 14 cents.

Apogee boosts fiscal 2007 profit view

(7:18 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Apogee Enterprises Inc.
APOG, -2.93%
Monday lifted its outlook for fiscal 2007, saying it now sees earnings of $1.04 to $1.10 a share. Its previous projection was for a profit of 98 cents to $1.04 a share for the year. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial is for a profit of $1.01 a share in 2007. The Minneapolis-based glass products maker anticipates it will post revenue growth near the top of its prior range of 12% to 15%. For fiscal 2008, Apogee forecast earnings of $1.20 to $1.30 a share on revenue growth of 8% to 11%. Wall Street's current consensus estimate is for a profit of $1.19 a share in fiscal 2008. The stock closed Friday at $19.66, down 2.2%.

Holly Corp. earnings, revenue rise

(7:10 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Holly Corp.
HOC, +17.42%
said fourth-quarter earnings rose to $47.7 million, or 84 cents a share, from $39.9 million, or 65 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding discontinued operations, earnings would have increased to 86 cents a share from 63 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had been expecting earnings of 83 cents a share, on average. Revenue grew 15% to $938.1 million from last year's $812.4 million, with refined product volumes increasing 10%. The petroleum refiner's stock closed Friday down 78 cents at $54.29.

London Stock Exchange SETS trading rises 61%

(2:41 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The London Stock Exchange(UK:LSE)said Monday that the number of electronic trades on its SETS platform rose 61% to 8.7 million in January, the highest number of trades ever recorded on the electronic order book in a single month. The exchange said the value traded rose 33% to 156.5 billion pounds ($305.6 billion). The total number of U.K. equity trades in January rose 50% to 9.8 million. The data came after Nasdaq Stock Market's
NDAQ, -1.09%
2.7 billion pound bid for the U.K. exchange was rejected by shareholders over the weekend.

Statoil net climbs 41%, announces synergies with Norsk Hydro

(2:32 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Norwegian oil company Statoil
STO, -1.25%
said Monday that its fourth-quarter net profit rose 41.2% to NOK12.0 billion ($1.92 billion), while revenue dipped 2.4% to NOK103.7 billion. The company said the increase in net profit was mainly due to higher financial income and a lower tax rate for the quarter. Average daily oil production for the quarter fell to 521,000 barrels a day, from 553,000 barrels a day. Separately the firm announced synergy expectations for the planned merger of its oil and gas activities with Norsk Hydro
NHY, -2.29%
Statoil said total cost synergies for the combined company are estimated at around NOK4 billion a year before tax. These synergies should be realized in around 2009 to 2010, once the integration process has been fully completed.

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